Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
PROVERBS 6
Warnings Against Folly
1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
12A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Warning Against Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.
26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery has no sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never be wiped away.
34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.
Application Notes
6:1-5 These verses are not against helping someone financially but against overextending one's financial resources and acting in irresponsible ways that could lead to squandering money. It is important to maintain a balance between generosity and good stewardship. God wants us to help our friends and those who are in need, but he does not promise to cover the costs of every unwise commitment we make. We should act responsibly so our own families do not suffer.
6:6-11 The last few moments of sleep are delicious; we savor them as we resist beginning another workday. But these verses warn against giving in to the temptation of laziness, of sleeping instead of working. This does not mean we should never rest: God gave us the Sabbath, a weekly day of rest and restoration. But we should not rest when we should be working. The ant is used as an example because this tiny creature utilizes its energy and resources economically. If laziness turns us from our responsibilities, poverty may soon bar us from the legitimate rest we should enjoy. (See also the chart on page 1063.)
6:20-23 It is natural and good for children, as they grow toward adulthood, to become increasingly independent of their parents. Young adults, however, should take care not to turn a deaf ear to their parents—to reject their advice just when it is needed most. If you are struggling with a decision or looking for insight, check with your parents or other older adults who know you well. Their extra years of experience may have given them the wisdom you seek.
6:25-35 Some people argue that breaking God's prohibition against sexual sin is all right if nobody gets hurt. In truth, somebody always gets hurt. In the case of adultery, spouses are devastated and children are scarred. Even if the partners themselves escape disease and unintended pregnancy, they may lose their ability to feel true sexual desire, to trust, and to be entirely open with another person. Relationships with children are weakened. The betrayed spouse loses self-worth. God's laws are not arbitrary. They do not forbid sexual pleasure within marriage; rather, they warn us against destroying ourselves through unwise actions or running ahead of God's timetable.
6:25 Lust is an unnatural, immoral, or greedy desire for sex. Regard lust as a warning sign of danger ahead. When you notice that you are sexually attracted to a person or preoccupied with fantasies of him or her, your desires may quickly degenerate into lust. Ask God to help you have appropriate desires before lustful ones draw you into sin.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)